I created this Irish-American fusion pie especially for Thanksgiving. Bailey’s cheesecake meets pumpkin pie, resulting in a hybrid Baileys pumpkin cheesecake. It boasts the requisite flavors of Thanksgiving, while it’s light texture makes it a perfect dessert after a heavy turkey dinner.

This is a baked cheesecake. Technically, it probably should be called a cheese pie, but whether you call it cake or pie, cheese, pumpkin and Baileys are the perfect trio for scrumptiousness.

Ingredients for Irish Cream Pumpkin Cheesecake:

Here you’ll find a quick list of what you’ll need for this recipe. Check out the printable recipe at the bottom of this post for US and Metric equivalent versions of the recipe. There you can choose the measurement system that works best for you.

Pie Topping

Directions for Irish Cream Pumpkin Cheesecake:

Here you’ll find step-by-step photographic instructions to help you recreate this recipe successfully. There are plenty of tips included along the way.

The first step is to create the biscuit crumb base. In Ireland I use digestive biscuits for all my cheesecake bases. When I can’t find my favorite McVite’s biscuits in America I compromise by using a mixture of graham crackers and vanilla wafers.

Place the graham cracker cookie sheets and vanilla wafers in a large plastic bag and zip closed. Using a rolling pin crush the cookies to form crumbs. This step can be completed in a food processor.

Toss the cookie crumbs into a large mixing bowl.

Add 1/4 cup of sugar and mix well.

Pour the melted butter into the cookie crumb and sugar mixture and combine using a fork. Mix well to moisten all of the crumbs. Just enough butter is used to hold the crumb base together. The mixture shouldn’t be too wet.

Press the cookie crumb mixture into the base and up the sides of a 10-inch round spring form pan, coated in cooking spray. Place the pie base in the refrigerator while making the filling, allowing it to chill.

Next it’s time to make the pie filling and a blender can do most of the work.

I don’t add typical pumpkin pie spices to my filling, since I like how the Irish cream and pumpkin flavors blend. Too many spices overwhelm the creamy liqueur. But feel free to spice up the pie filling to satisfy your taste buds. Toss in some cinnamon, nutmeg or all-spice into the blender with the cheese filling and blend away, if you can’t handle pumpkin without a hint of cinnamon.

Look at the lovely fall colors in the blender.

Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl.

I’m hoping for a nice big food processor for Christmas this year. With my trusty twenty year old blender I’ve got to hold down the lid to make sure this mixture doesn’t explode all over the walls when I flip that switch.

Using a hand mixer beat the two egg whites in a separate bowl until the eggs form firm peaks. Add the powdered sugar.

Beat again until the eggs become glossy and form stiff peaks. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without the eggs moving in the slightest.

Combine the pumpkin cheese blend and the beaten egg whites. Use a large spoon to gently blend the egg whites into the mixture. Do not beat them with the hand mixer.

A lovely light orange creamy mixture should be the result.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake at 325 degrees F for 50 minutes. When the cheesecake is ready the surface will be a light golden color. The center will jiggle just slightly when the pan is moved. The center will firm up during the cooling time.

A typical cooked-cake test using a knife or tooth pick doesn’t work for a cheesecake. A knife may crack the top of a cheesecake made with sour cream. The test will never be accurate since cheesecake is supposed to be a little moist and gooey. The knife will never come out clean. Cheesecakes, like this one, made with sour cream still jiggle when cooked and have a soft spot in the center.

Here is a photo of the cheesecake as it came out of the oven.

Next, add the ingredients for the pie topping (sour cream, powdered sugar and Baileys) to a small mixing bowl.

Whisk them together to form a glossy topping. Pour the topping over the cheesecake, spreading it evenly to cover the cooked filling.

Return the cake to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Most of the alcohol will burn off at this temperature.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature. Cover it and place it in the refrigerator to cool over night, or for a minimum of 4 hours.

The surface of my cheesecake is not as pretty as I wished. A little, wandering finger tested it as it was waiting to be photographed. I tried to smooth over the evidence, but I’m afraid the damage was done.

After chilling the pie overnight, I concealed some of the surface damage with whipped cream. I’m afraid my cream piping was not perfect either, but you get the idea.

Pie Topping

Instructions

Make The Cheesecake Base

Make cookie crumbs from the graham crackers and vanilla wafers by pulsing in a food processor, or by placing them in a plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.

Combine the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl using a fork. Mix well to moisten the cookie crumbs with the melted butter.

Coat a 10-inch round quick-release baking pan with cooking spray. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Place in the refrigerator to chill, while making the pie filling.

Make The Cheesecake Filling

Add the sugar, cottage cheese, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, Baileys, flour, salt, 2 eggs and egg yolks to a blender. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl.

In a second large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and small peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and beat until glossy, stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the pumpkin cheese mixture. Do not beat.

Pour the pie filling into the prepared crust. Bake at 325 degrees F for 50 minutes. When the pie is ready the surface will be a light golden brown. The center of the pie will jiggle just slightly when the pan is moved.

Make The Cheesecake Topping

Make the topping by whisking the sour cream, powdered sugar and Baileys in a bowl. Pour over the cheesecake and spread evenly over the top. Return the pie to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 325 degrees.

Let the pie cool in the pan on a rack until it reaches room temperature. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight or for a minimum of four hours. Remove the side of the pan to slice and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Irish Cream Pumpkin Cheesecake

Amount Per Serving (100 g)

Calories 388Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 97mg32%

Sodium 402mg17%

Potassium 237mg7%

Carbohydrates 50g17%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 35g39%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 3620IU72%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 120mg12%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.

I’m so sad that this recipe won’t be able to be made in our house! (We don’t drink alcohol…) I will however have to try the digestive biscuits in place of graham crackers for the crust! We make a creme fraiche cheesecake every couple of months, so I will have to find a package before we make our next one!

Aimee – Digestive biscuits make a delicious cheesecake crust. Meijers supermarkets sometimes have them in stock. They’re a little pricier than using graham crackers, but for my Irish taste buds, they are well worth a few extra pennies. Hope you don’t have to do all the cooking tomorrow. Sit back, relax and enjoy this special day with family. Best wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving. Mairéad

We are definitely going to be on the lookout for a package to try soon! We will be doing all our own cooking tomorrow, but with everything we’ve got going on, it really is the less stressful option. So I think we will enjoy it and it will be a wonderful day. I hope you and your sweet family have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

I thought I’d comment on your caloric post while my “traditional” pumpkin pie is in the oven. For the last two years we have grown Long Island cheese pumpkins for our pumpkin pies. This variety is high in sugar and the meat is fine-grained, excellent for pies. Thanks for sharing the detailed recipe and your photo support is wonderful. The cheese cake/pumpkin blend adds a bit of the exotic to traditional Thanksgiving fare.The recipe looks a bit labor-intensive, especially if one is hosting the entire meal; more of an “assignment” dish to take to the hosting household.

As far as perfection and little fingers…didn’t the Zen Buddhist artisans blemish their artwork in some way because perfection is not “perfect?” A blessing on those little fingers, I would say.

By the way, I gained five pounds just reading your post. Happy Thanksgiving! TMJ

T.M. – “Perfection is not ‘perfect'” – I like that. Nothing is ever perfect in my house. And I agree, I truly am blessed to have all those little fingers helping me out. This cake probably is best as an assignment to bring along to a gathering. Cooking the turkey, fixings and dessert is a job only for the very brave. Best wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving. Mairéad

I’m not a cheesecake fan myself, Mairead, but I bet those who are would absolutely love this. I may be the only person in America who doesn’t like cheesecake 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

When I see how many calories a cheesecake hides,I sometimes wish I could say I’m not a fan. Usually my indulgent side kicks in and whispers “go for it”. Like Oscar Wilde I can resist everything but temptation, and cheesecake is a big temptation for me. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Blessings to you and yours, Mairéad

Hi NJ – I believe you can use half the ingredient amounts for a 7-inch spring pan. This recipe is for a 10-inch pan. Here’s how I figured this out. Let’s assume the height of the pans is the same, so we just have to figure out the percentage area the smaller pan would take up of the larger pan. The area of a circle is calculated using the formula πr² – the larger pan has a bottom surface area of 3.146 x 5 x 5 which equals 78.65 square inches. The smaller pan has a bottom surface area of 3.146 x 3.5 x 3.5 which equals 38.53 square inches. This is 48.9% of the area of the larger pan, which is pretty close to half. This means that halving the recipe amounts will work out. Here are the amounts: Pie Base: 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (4 cookie sheets) 1/2 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (13 cookies) 1/8 cup sugar 2 tablespoons melted butter (1/4 stick)